Wool-cleaiang machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

WILLIAM H. WATROUS. OF BROOKLYN, NE\V YORK.

WOOL-CLEANING- MACHINE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 16,622, dated February 10, 1857.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. lVATRoUs, of Brooklyn, Kings county, and State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Picking and Cleaning 7001, Cot-ton, and other Materials or Substances; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in combining and using a cylinder having a series o-f picker teeth on its periphery, and an agitator attached to the side or aXis thereof, with a series of stationary cleaning or beater teeth, secured in the frame of the machine, so as to interlock with the cylinder picker teeth, and a vibratory or agitato-ry wire cloth apron or screen, surrounding the lower surface of the picker cylinder, so that as the wool or other article is picked or beat to pieces by the cylinder, the` wire cloth apron by its agitatory action causes the metes and dust to be sifted therefrom; also in combination with the agitatory wire cloth apron, a fan blower, and wire cloth exhaust screen arranged lengthways, and at opposite sides of the machine, so that the blast of air from the blower passes transverselyof the agitato-ry apron, and carries with it all the dust, motes, &c., freed, or cleaned from the wool, cotton, or other material operated upon. But to describe my invention more particularly, I will refer to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specifiv cation, the same letters of reference wherever they occur referring to like parts.

Figure l, is a side elevation of the inachine. Fig. 2, is a front end view of the same. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal cut-section of the machine through the line ai, Fig.

4. Fig. 4, is a plan View having the upper shell of the cylinder removed. Fig. 5, is a detached view of the picker cylinder, agitator, and agitatory wire clot-h apron.

Letter A, is the frame of the machine. Upon an axis B, arranged in suitable boxes transversely of the frame of the machine, is secured a cylinder of metal or wood B2, as may be deemed best, and having on its periphery some sixteen or more or less number of transverse or longitudinal rows of iron pins O, some six to nine inches in length more or less, according to the nature of material to be operated upon. The ends of the cylinder are closed up. The object of this is, to prevent the wool getting to the inside of the cylinder during the cleaning operation.

Letter D, is a rim of metal secured to the end of the picker cylinder, and bent in such a way as to form a wave line in the direction of its line of motion. The object and use of the rim is to operate the wire cloth apron E, by means of a suitable guide bar or pin F, attached thereto, so that at each revolution of the picker cylinder, the wave line of the` rim causes a vibratory, or agitatory motion of the apron to work the dust therefrom. This wire cloth apron is secured by pins f, f, through slots in it, to the sides G, of the picker cylinder boX, so as to surround the lower half of the picker cylinderthe frontedge of which being or fitting closely against the frame of the machine, so as to prevent the wool from falling from the picker, while the back edge is made to fit closely up to the discharging door H, which is made to slide in and out of guides, as occasion may require to allow of the charge of wool, after being cleaned to escape from the picker.

Letters J, are a series of cleaner or beater teeth, secured into the `front end rail of the machine frame. These teeth are set so as to alternate with the rows of teeth in the picker cylinder.

Letter K, is a hopper, arranged in connection with the upper shell or casing L, of the cylinder, so as to cause the feed of wool to fall directly upon the stationary teeth J, that it may be carried forward, and beat and opened by the teeth of the cylinder in its revolutionary action.

Letter M, is a fan blower, secured upon an axis N, arranged on suitable boxes lengthwise of the frame of the machine, and surrounded by a case P, so as to confine the air and cause it to be projected across 4the machine and agitatory wire cloth apron, and thence discharged through the wire cloth eX- haust screen R, at the opposite side of the frame. The object of this blower, and it-s application so as to discharge its blast at right angles to the line of motion of the picker cylinder, isto blow off the dirt and motes beat from the wool, but to do this is owing entirely to the direction of the blast of air. It will be apparent that if the cylinder be running at the speed of two, to three hundred revolutions per minute, a rotatory current of air, and motion of the wool will be induced, consequently any blowing apparatus exert-ing its force either with, or against this current would fail entirely to free the dust or metes from the wool.Y At right angles to it however the lighter particles will readily free themselves from the Wool, and if the blast is not too great to overcome the momentum acquired by the mass in itsvrevolutionary course, the burrsmoties, and dust Will all separate from the Wool, and be carried out of the machine; that is, the motes &c., will vork through the meshes of the agitatory Wire cloth apron, and by the blast of air, carried against the exhaust screen to be collected While the air and dust escape.

Having fully described the construction and operation of my improvements, I Would remark that I do not claim the picker cylinder, the fan blower, or the reciprocating screen, and the devices for operating the same individually, as these have all been applied for analogous purposes-but- What I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the picker cylinder B, reciprocating screen E, exhaust screen R, and fan blower M, arranged and operating ndthe manner and for the purposes speci- W. H. WATROUS.

wWitnesses SAML. ROWLEY, CHAS. S. BARRITT. 

